DIY Travel Laundry Detergent (Lightweight, No Water, No Jug)

This is the laundry soap my grandpa made for years. He showed my sister-in-law how to make it, and she gifted me a jar of it with the ingredients written right on the label so I could keep making it myself. I still use it every single day.

Before this, I was using liquid laundry detergent, and it was miserable to travel with. Heavy, bulky, and it never seemed to last as long as it should. Turns out that’s because most liquid detergent is mostly water, you’re paying to ship and carry water weight home from the store, then hauling that same weight around with you everywhere you go after.

This is different. It’s a dry mix, pure soap, nothing watering it down to stretch it further. A small jar lasts a long time and weighs almost nothing.

Even now that we’re stationary for work instead of full-time traveling, this recipe still earns its spot. Our laundry room is in the basement, and we live on the third floor. I am genuinely grateful I’m not hauling a heavy jug of detergent down four flights of stairs and back up again every time I do laundry. Light and simple wins whether you’re on the road or just living somewhere without an elevator.

DIY travel laundry detergent in a nutshell: Grate a bar of soap, blend it with borax and washing soda into a fine powder, and store it in a jar. Use 1 tablespoon per load. No water added during mixing means no added weight, no melting on the stove, and a jar that lasts for dozens of loads without taking up much space at all.

Why Dry Beats Liquid for Travel

Most homemade laundry detergent recipes you’ll find online are liquid, and liquid detergent, homemade or store-bought, is mostly water. Some estimates put commercial liquid detergent at up to 90% water by volume. You’re paying for water, storing water, and hauling water every time you do a load of laundry.

A dry mix skips all of that. You add the water yourself, in the washing machine, at the moment you actually need it. Until then, it’s just a light jar of concentrated powder that takes up a fraction of the space.

For anyone living somewhere space and weight actually matter, an RV, a van, a tent, a small apartment with laundry four flights away, that difference isn’t small. It’s the whole reason this recipe is still in my rotation.

The Recipe

Is Borax Actually Safe to Use?

This comes up a lot, so worth addressing directly. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral, not a synthetic chemical, and it’s been used in laundry for well over a century. It’s not something you’d want to eat or get in your eyes, same as most cleaning products, but used as directed in a wash cycle, it rinses out with the rest of the wash water and isn’t something that stays on your clothing.

If you’d rather skip it entirely, some people substitute a second cup of washing soda in its place. The cleaning power will be slightly different, borax specifically helps soften water and boost stain removal, but it still works.

Is This Safe for Greywater or Septic Systems?

If you’re living off-grid and reusing greywater, or you’re on a septic system, the soap you choose matters more than the borax or washing soda does. Fels-Naptha isn’t specifically formulated as biodegradable. If greywater safety matters for your setup, swap it for the Dr. Bronner’s Castile bar instead, same process, same ratios, just a more environmentally gentle soap base.

If you like the idea of trading store-bought jugs for things you make yourself, a system that actually travels, I put together a free guide on building a from-scratch pantry that goes anywhere with you. It’s called the From-Scratch Pantry Starter Guide, grab it below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this work in HE (high-efficiency) washers? Yes. Start with 1 tablespoon since HE machines use less water, and adjust up slightly if you feel your loads need it.

How many loads does one batch make? This batch makes roughly 26 loads at 1 tablespoon each. It scales easily, just keep the ratio of equal parts borax and washing soda to one bar of soap.

Will this dissolve in cold water? Yes, since everything is blended into a fine powder rather than left in coarse flakes, it dissolves fully even in cold cycles.

Can I use this in a laundromat or shared machine? Yes, it works the same as any powder detergent, just measure your tablespoon into a small container or bag before you go if you don’t want to carry the whole jar.

How long does a batch last before it goes bad? Stored in an airtight container away from moisture, it doesn’t really expire, borax, washing soda, and soap are all shelf-stable on their own. It’ll keep working as long as it stays dry.

Final Thoughts

I’ve made a lot of things from scratch over the years, but this is one of the few that started with someone else entirely, my grandpa, passed down through my sister-in-law, and now it’s just part of how I do things. Some things are worth keeping exactly the way they were handed to you.

If you make a batch, I’d love to hear how it works for your setup, RV, apartment, wherever you’re doing laundry these days.